Semirotary wire fabric machine



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SEMIROTARY WIRE FABRIC MACHINE 18 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed June 12, 1933 Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEIMIROTARY WIRE FABRIC MACHINE Application June 12, 1933, Serial No. 675,491

17 Claims.

This invention relates to wire fabric machines, and more particularly to a semi-rotary wire fabric machine adapted to make a hexagon mesh fabric having longitudinal untwisted line wires and adapted particularly for use as fencing and concrete reenforcement material.

The machine comprises drum twisting heads I of such shape as to form and to hold the mesh in alinement while being acted upon by the twisters, and also includes novel means for guiding and distributing the mesh wires in the drum twisting head. A novel mechanism is also provided for holding the mesh wires in the drum twisting head during the twist which is made by 5 the spindles.

Other features of the machine, suchas novel guides for the mesh and strand wires, pull-out rolls, shearing and reeling mechanism and automatic stopping mechanism for the machine adapted to operate when a predetermined length of fabric has been completed, all will be brought out specifically in the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan of the wire fabricating machine. I

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan of the twisting drum drive mechanism.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan of the wind-up drum drive mechanism.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan of the wire fabricating machine, showing the opposite side of that shown in Figures 2 and 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figures 2 and 2 Figure 5 is a sectional elevation taken on the line VV of Figures 2 and 2 Figure 6 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 3 with the twisting drum shown in section.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 2, partly in section.

Figure 9 is a sectional elevation of the wire threading and twisting mechanisms.

Figure 10 is a sectional elevation taken on the line XX of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of the wire twisting spindle and spindle drive mechanism.

Figure 12 is a sectional plan taken 0: the line XII-XII of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the twisting spindle drive mechanism.

Figure 14 is a top plan showing the twister heads in rotative position.

Figure 15 is a top plan showing the twister head segments in shifted position.

Figure 16 is a sectional plan showing the twister head shifting mechanism with the twister head segments in the position shown in Figure 14.

Figure 17 is a similar view with the twister head segments in the position shown in Figure 15.

Figures 18 and 19 are sectional elevations taken on the lines XVIIIXVHI and XIXXIX, respectively, of Figure 14.

Figure 20 is an elevation showing a section of the twister drum, rotary tooth bar and twisting spindle head- Figure 21 is a sectional elevation taken on the line XXI-XXI of Figure 20.

Figure 22 is a top plan of apparatus shown in Figure 21, partly in section. Figures 23, 24 and 25 are detail views of the pull-out drum.

Figures 26 and 27 are detail views of the shearing apparatus.

Figure 28 is a plan of a section of wire fabric.

Figure 29 is an elevation showing a device for automatically stopping the wire fabricating machine.

Figure 30 is a sectional elevation taken on the line XXX- Q X of Figure 29.

For convenience, the description of the machine of this invention will be divided into several main groups.

Twisting spindles and means for distributing the Wires thereto The selvage and line wires are led from suitable reels (not shown) underpipe rolls 2 and 2 and over sheaves 3 and under sheaves 4 and then up through hollow twisting spindles 5. The mesh wires are led from suitable reels (not shown) under other pipe rolls 6 and 6 and up over and under suitable sheaves 7 and 7% respectively, around spindles 5 and then up through hollow segments 8. All of the wires are adapted to be pulled into the machine by the action of the twisting drum D. The segments 8 are mounted 10 transversely of the machine in two rows at the opposite side of the spindle segments 9. The segments are provided with quills through which the mesh wires are led, and the twisting spindles are also provided with quills through which the strand and selvage wires are led. The segments 8 are shifted back and forth to distribute the mesh wires in the twisting drum head wire, thereby forming the hexagon mesh of the fabric by the reciprocating movement of the shifting bars 10 and 12, in a manner presently to be described. The twisting spindles, which are made up of spindle segments 8 and 9, and spindle 5 are arranged so that the segments 8 are rotated at the proper time by the spindle gear 1'7. One of the spindle gears 17 is secured to each of the spindles 5, and these gears are actuated by a reciprocating rack bar 14.

The center spindle segments 9 are provided with projections 9 on either side that lit in ways 15 provided in spindle segments 8 for the purpose of holding the segments in proper relation. The spindle segments 8 and 9 are also provided with grooves adjacent theirupper ends to receive the brass retainers 16 which are secured to the shifting bars 10 and 12, for the purpose of holding the segments in proper relation with the shifting bars.

The main drive shaft of the machine is designated by the numeral 18, and carries fast, and loose pulleys 19 and 20, respectively. The motion of the main shaft 18 is transmitted to a second shaft 21 through a bevel pinion 22 and bevel gear 23, and from the shaft 21 power is transmitted to a third shaft 24 through a pinion 25 and gear 26. Secured to the shaft 24 is a mutilated gear 27, which is adapted to mesh with a mutilated pinion 29 secured to a crank-shaft 28. Fastened to the shaft 28 is a crank disk 30, to which a pitman or connecting-rod 32 is secured by a pin 31. The connecting-rod 32 is connected through a pin 33 and cross-head 34, which slides in ways in a bracket 35 to the rack bar 14. The rack bar 14, as before mentioned, engages the pinions 17 on the hollow twisting spindles 5 and when the teeth on the mutilated gear 27 engage the teeth on the mutilated pinion 29, it causes the crank-shaft 28 to turn one-half of one revolution, thereby causing the twisting spindle segments to revolve the desired number of times around the strand or mesh wires. The mutilated gear 2'7 on the shaft 24 is provided with teeth for about one-third of its circumference, or a suilicient number of teeth to turn the mutilated pinion 29 one-half of a revolution. The remaining distance of the circumference of the mutilated gear is left blank. Attached to the side of the gear 27 is a ring 38 which engages a shoe 39 on the mutilated pinion 29 so as to lock the pinion at each one-half revolution. The pinion 29 is mutilated by providing a double width tooth to the pinion to receive the blow from the mutilated gear 2'7, and a recess is provided in the gear 27 to receive this double width tooth.

Secured to the gear 26 is a sleeve gear 40 which engages the gear 41 secured to a shaft 42. The shaft 42 has a cam plate 43 secured to its outer end, which plate carries cams 44 and 45.

A connecting-rod 46 has a roller 4'7 at its one end which is mounted to operate in the way between the cams 44 and 45, and the other end of the rod 46 is connected to the front shifting bar 10 so as to reciprocate said bar as the cams are rotated. The front and back shifting bars 10 and 12, respectively, have short racks 49 on their inner surfaces at their ends opposite the earns 44 and 45, and these racks engage opposite sides of a toothed pinion 50 which causes the back shifting bar to reciprocate in a direction opposite from the front shifting bar. After the spindle segments have been given the required number of revolutions, as before described, the roller 4'! and the connecting-rod 46 are actuated by the cams 44 and 45, thereby reciprocating the shifting bars 10 and 12 which, in turn, move the spindle segments transversely of the machine so as to distribute the mesh wires and form the mesh. After the shift has-taken place and the segments have returned to the normal position, the shifting bars are locked and held in this position during the twisting operation by a locking lever 60.

A pinion 51 is secured to the main drive shaft 18 and meshed with a gear 52. Secured to a shaft 53 is a pinion 54 which meshes with a gear 55 on a shaft 56. The shaft 56 carries a cam 57 which operates against a roller 58 carried by suitable lever and linkage mechanism which, in turn, rocks a shaft 59. The shaft 59 is connected by other .suitable lever and linkages to the locking lever 60 and operates the lever 60 to engage and disengage in suitable recesses in the shift bars 10 and 12. When the locking lever 66 is engaged in the recesses provided in the shifting bars 10 and 12, the crank-shaft is given one-half of a turn, causing the spindle segments to revolve two and one-half times around the camshaft for each cycle or for each revolution of the shaft 24 on which is mounted the mutilated gear 2'7. The spindles are caused to revolve in alternately opposite directions so that the mesh wires, which are caused to wrap around the segments in one direction or rotation, are unwrapped by the reverse direction of rotation of the spindles.

The fabric provided as above described is what is known as a single hinge, that is, it can be folded at each spindle spacing. If the spindles were caused to revolve two or any even number of times and the direction of the shift of the segments remained the same, then the fabric produced would be rigid and could not be folded at any point.

The twister head type drum and associated parts The twisting drum, which is designated generally by the letter D, has a shaft 6'7 which is journaled on the frame of the machine. A bevel pinion 62 on the drive shaft 18 is meshed with a bevel gear 63 on a shaft 64 which shaft, in turn, carries a worm 65 meshed with a worm wheel 66 on the drum shaft 67. Mounted on the drum D is a series of tooth bars 68, provided with covers 69. The tooth bars have alternate slots '70 for the strand wires which register with the twisting spindles and alternate slots '71 for the mesh wires, which are midway between the slots '70 and the spindles and are of such shape as to form and hold the mesh wire being acted upon by the twisters. The teeth are arranged in a circular series coaxial with the drum and are retained by clamp bars '72 secured to the drum by suitable screws.

Each tooth bar 68 has a longitudinal recess extending the entire length of the bar for the reception of a rack '73. The bars 68 are provided with twister pinions '74 at each of the slots '71, which pinions are meshed with the rack bars '73. The twister pinions '74 have their axes transverse to the racks and allthe twister pinions in each bar 68 are obviously operated by the single rack bar when it is reciprocating in a manner to be described. 

